"Gautam Gambhir asked me" - When Sunil Narine revealed how he turned into a T20 opener
Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Sunil Narine started his career as a mystery spinner. Narine would bowl economical overs for his team and bat in the lower order. However, in 2017, KKR's former captain Gautam Gambhir pulled off a masterstroke by pushing Narine to the top of the order.
Narine could hit the ball big, but he could not contribute much with the willow in the lower order. Seeing his potential, Gambhir took a huge risk by allowing Narine to open the batting. The move worked wonders as Narine scored 224 runs in 16 matches for KKR in IPL 2017. His strike rate was more than 170.
Notably, Narine smashed a 17-ball 54 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, stitching up a 105-run opening stand with Chris Lynn in just six overs. Sharing the details of how he became an opener, Narine had said in a chat with Cricket Monthly:
"Gautam Gambhir asked me to open. He wanted me to get the team off to a fast start, it didn't matter if I lost my wicket early. Nobody could plan too much for me as I was still new to the role, opposition didn't take me that seriously, and I went from strength to strength."
Gambhir moved from KKR to Delhi Daredevils in 2018. However, KKR continued to use his strategy and used Narine as an opener.
Gautam Gambhir once again promoted Sunil Narine to the opener's role in IPL 2024
Although Kolkata Knight Riders continued to use Sunil Narine as an opener after Gautam Gambhir's departure, the Caribbean all-rounder became slightly inconsistent. Soon after, the Knight Riders changed his batting position.
In IPL 2023, Narine managed only 21 runs at a strike rate of 84 as he majorly batted in the lower middle order. Gambhir returned to KKR as a mentor in IPL 2024. He again promoted Narine to the top of the order and the Caribbean all-rounder scored 488 runs at an incredible strike rate of 180.74.
Gambhir has once again left KKR because he is India's head coach now. It will be interesting to see if Sunil Narine can continue in the same vein in IPL 2025.